Travel restrictions impacting more than 30 countries have now been lifted, meaning more international visitors will be headed to the U.S. shortly.Utah Office of Tourism managing director Vicky Varela says international visitors make up seven or eight percent, or several million, of Utah’s overall tourism. She says the increase in international visitors is “wonderful for the Utah tourism economy because international visitors spend more, they stay longer, and they travel really respectfully.”
One of the challenges officials are currently facing is crowd control. Utah’s national parks are already crowded, but Varela says officials are spending most of the time figuring out how to mitigate any congestion problems. She says it's a “complicated challenge.”
Varela says she expects an influx of international travelers to “build incrementally” within the next few months.
